Bottle carrier

ABSTRACT

A bottle carrier which is fabricated from a single blank of sheet material which is cut, scored, folded and glued in a fashion such as to provide a knocked-down bottle carrier which can be easily and quickly automatically erected simply by exerting opposing forces on two of its opposite edges. The bottom of the bottle carrier is self-erecting and pulls a centrally disposed divider into position during the erection thereof.

United States Patent inventor Melchiore M. Stramaglia Castro Valley,Calif. 794,311

Jan. 27, 1969 Apr. 27, 1971 The Finn Industries, lnc., Chimgo, Ill.

Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee BOTTLE CARRIER 5 Claims, 26 DrawingFigs.

U.S. Cl 220/ 113 Int. Cl 365d 5/48, B65d 25/28 FieldofSearch 220/113,107, 108, 109, Ill, 1 14, 115; 229/52 (BC),41

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,371,312 3/1945 Potter229/52BC 2,578,174 12/1951 Crane... 229/52BC 3,455,498 7/1969 Gadiel229/41 Primary Examiner-David M. Bockenek Attorney-Dominik, Knechtel &Godula PATENTEDAPRZYISYI 3.576274 SHEET 3 BF 5 FIG. 13 39 INVENTORMelchiore M. SIramag/ia J J J BY 24 25 26 Affys.

BOTTLE CARRIER This invention relates to improved bottle carriers whichare fabricated from a single blank of sheet material in a fashion suchthat they can be shipped and/or stored in a knockeddown or flat-foldedconfiguration and thereafter easily and automatically erected.

An object of the invention is to provide improved bottle carriers havingsolid outer walls or panels, thereby providing better printing surfacesfor advertising material and the like.

Another object is to provide improved bottle carriers constructed in afashion such as to provide full bottle separation.

Still another object is to provide improved bottle carriers having abottom wall which is more rigid than those on most similar types ofbottle carriers.

A still further object is to provide improved bottle carriers which areconstructed and folded in a fashion such that they can be easily formedor erected in a bottling or glass plant, either automatically or byhand.

Another object is to provide improved bottle carriers fonned from asingle blank of sheet material, with a substantially irreducible amountof waste material.

Still another object is to provide improved bottle carriers which can bemore easily glued than theretofore generally possible with most similartypes of bottle carriers.

A still further object is to provide improved bottle carriers having ahandle which is generally more rigid than the handles on similar typesof bottle carriers.

A still further object is to provide improved bottle carriers which areadapted to be used in conjunction with existing machines for forming,for erecting and for filling them, with little or no modification tosaid machines.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in partappear hereinafter.

The above objectives are accomplished with a bottle carrier which isfabricated from a single blank of sheet material which is cut, scored,folded and glued in a fashion such as to provide a knocked-down bottlecarrier which can be easily and quickly automatically erected simply byexerting opposing forces on two of its opposite edges. The bottom of thebottle carrier is self erecting and pulls a centrally disposed dividerinto position during the erection thereof. This divider not onlyseparates the bottles on the opposite sides thereof, but supports thebottom and has a handle grip formed in it, at its top edge. Individualbottle dividers are provided on each of the opposite sides of the centerdivider and are automatically positioned by means of the bottles as thelatter are placed in the bottle carrier.

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessingthe features, properties, and the relation of elements which will beexemplified in the article hereinafter described, and the scope of theinvention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention,reference should be had to the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a blank of sheet material from which abottle carrier exemplary of a first embodiment of the invention isformed;

FIGS. 2-4 are top plan views illustrating the manner in which the blankof FIG. 1 is folded to form a bottle carrier;

FIGS. 5-7 are bottom views of the folded blank illustrating the mannerin which the bottom of the bottle carrier is formed;

FIG. 8 is a side plan view of the erected bottle carrier;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along lines 9-9 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a bottle carrier exemplary of anotherembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the blank of sheet material from which thebottle carrier of FIG. 10 is formed;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along lines 12-12 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a partial sectional view taken along lines 13-43 of FIG. 10;3

FIG. 14 is a top plan view of a blank of sheet material used to formstill another bottle carrier exemplary of the invention;

FIGS. 15-17 are views of the blank of sheet material of FIG. 14,illustrating the manner in which it is folded to form the bottle carriershown in FIG. 23;

FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken substantially transversely through thebottle carrier as it is being erected, to illustrate the manner in whichthe panels and dividers thereof are pulled into place;

FIGS. l922 are bottom views of the bottle carrier illustrating themanner in which the bottom of the bottle carrier is formed; 7

FIG. 23 is a sectional view of the bottle carrier formed from the blankof sheet material of FIG. 14, taken along lines 23- 23 of FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a side plan view of still another bottle carrier exemplary ofthe invention;

FIG. 25 is a partial top plan view of a blank of sheet materialillustrating an alternate construction for providing additional handlesupport; and

FIG. 26 is a view illustrating the manner in which the blank of sheetmaterial of FIG. 25 is folded.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, in FIGS. 1-9 thereof, there is shown abottle carrier (FIG. 8), exemplary of a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, which is formed from the single blank of sheetmaterial 151 shown in FIG. 1. This blank 151 is cut and scored in afashion such as to ,form end panels 152 and 153 including end panelsections 152a, 152b and 153a, 153b, respectively, side panels 154 and155, and a small glue flap 156 which, when folded along score lines158-163, form the outer rectangular-shaped sidewalls of the bottlecarrier 150. The glue flap 156 has adhesive applied to it on the sideopposite that shown in FIG. 1, and is adhesively aflixed to the endpanel 152a so that it lies interiorly of the bottle carrier 150. Withthis construction, the sidewalls (the end panels 152 and 153 and theside panels 154 and of the bottle carrier 150 are in the form of solidpanels and are not interrupted with glue lines and the like.Accordingly, the solid panels provide better printing surfaces forvignettes, as well as the advertising material which normally is appliedto these bottle carriers, when compared to most presently availablesimilar types of bottle carriers. In addition to providing betterprinting surfaces, these panels can be more easily printed, and there isless likelihood of the design and the decorativeness of the vignettesand the like being distorted or otherwise disfigured when the bottlecarrier is formed.

The blank 151 further is cut and scored to provide a selfforming bottomincluding bottom panels 166 and 167, a centrally disposed dividerincluding divider panels 168 and 169, and a pair of panels which, whenthe bottle carrier is erected, form handle portions 170 and 171 andindividual bottle separator panels 172 and 173. As can be best seen inFIG. 9, the divider panels 168 and 169 are abutted together face-tofacecentrally of the bottle carrier 150 and the upper portions thereof aresandwiched between the handle portions 170 and 171, when the bottlecarrier is erected. The upper portions of the divider panels 168 and 169are adhesively affixed to the handle portions 170 and 171, respectively,and further are adhesively or otherwise secured to one another, so as toprovide a strong, rigid handle. The divider panels 168 and 169 have handopenings 174 in them which are positioned so that they align with oneanother when the bottle carrier is erected, so as to form a single handopening 175, as can be seen in FIG. 8.

The individual bottle separator panels 172 and 173 are horizontallydisposed when the bottle carrier 150 is erected, and each of them hasformed therein a centrally disposed bottle receiving opening 177 whichis normally covered by two small divider flaps 178 and 179 which can befolded along score lines 180, to depend vertically downwardly into thebottle carrier, as can be best seen in FIG. 8. The edges 181 of thesedivider flaps 178 and 179 also advantageously are cut in a sinusoidalfashion to provide additional lengths of board material between thebottles placed in the bottle carriers. The openings 177 each also areflanked by a pair of foldable divider flaps 182 and 183 which areautomatically folded along the score lines 180 so as to dependvertically downwardly within the bottle carrier 150, as can be best seenin FIG. 8, when bottles are placed in the bottle carrier. It cantherefore be seen that all of the bottles placed in the bottle carrier150 are substantially completely separated from one another, by means ofthe centrally disposed divider formed by the divider panels 168, 169 andthe divider flaps 182 and 183.

It also may be noted that bottles placed in the bottle carrier 150 seaton the bottom panels 166 and 167, and the weight of these bottles helpto fully erect or form the bottom. When the filled bottle carrier ispicked up by the handle portions 170 and 171, the divider panels 168 and169 being adhesively affixed to these handle portions support the bottompanels 166 and 167. This fact, as well as the fact that the bottompanels are integral with the side panels 154, 155 and the divider panels168, 169, substantially, if not completely, eliminates the possibilityof the bottom tearing out of the bottle carrier as a result of a glueseam parting. The double handle strengthens the bottle carrier and, inaddition, is fairly rigid so as to provide a secure feeling to anyonecarrying the bottle carrier.

The blank 151 is folded in the manner described below, to form thebottle carrier 150. Adhesive first is applied to the blank 151, at glueareas 185-190, and it is then folded along the score lines 191 and 192to afiix the strengthening flaps 193 and 194 in overlapping relationshipon the handle portions 170 and 171. Thereafter, or simultaneously withthe abovedescribed folding operation, the blank 151 is folded along thescore lines 196 and 197 so that the bottom panels 166 and 167 and thedivider panels 168 and 169 overlay the side panels 154, 155, theindividual separator panels 172, 173 and a portion of the handleportions 170 and 171, as shown in FIG. 2.

Next, adhesive is applied to the glue areas 198, 199, 215 and 216, andthen the blank 151 is folded over along the score line 161, asillustrated in FIG. 3, so that the divider panels 168 and 169 areadhesively affixed together. Prior to making the above-described fold,adhesive preferably is applied to the back side of the glue flap 156, asindicated by the dotted area 200 in FIG. 3. Alternatively, however, thisadhesive can be applied after the fold is made. Adhesive also is appliedto the glue area 201 on the end panel section 152a. The final fold thenis made along score lines 158, to fold the end panel section 152a inoverlapping relationship on the end panel section 152b and the glue flap156. With this fold, the glue flap 156 is affixed to the inside of theend panel section 152a, as shown in FIG. 4.

The bottle carrier 150 now is completely formed and, as can be seen inFIG. 4, is in a knocked-down configuration so that it can be easilyshipped and/or stored. It may be noted that the bottle carrier is fonnedfrom the blank 151 with a minimum number of folds. Also, the blank 151can be automatically folded and glued, as well as being erected in themanner hereinafter described, on most existing apparatus for formingbottle carriers, with little or no modification to this apparatus.

To erect the bottle carrier 150, opposing forces, as indicated by thearrows 217 and 218 in FIGS. 57, are exerted against the two oppositeedges of the folded blank 151. As these forces are applied, the oppositeside panels 154 and 155 are forced to spread apart, in the mannerillustrated in FIG. 6. As these side panels spread apart, the bottompanels 166 and 167 are caused to unfold, downwardly into bottom-closingpositions, as illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7 and 9, 13. As these bottompanels 166 and 167 are forced into their bottom-closing positions, theypull the divider panels 168 and 169 into position, vertically disposedcentrally of the bottle carrier, as can be best seen in FIG. 9. It mayfurther be noted that the individual separator panels 172 and 173 arefolded along the score lines 204 and 205 and are pulled into theirhorizontally disposed positions, on each of the opposite sides of thedivider panels 168 and 169, as the latter panels are pulled intoposition.

It may be noted that the handle portions and 171 each have a pair oflocking notches 207 and 208 formed therein which are aligned when thesehandle portions are overlapped. These locking notches 207 and 208 areadapted to frictionally receive the top edge of the end panel 152 and153 therein, respectively, to maintain the bottle carrier erect, until abottle, or bottles, is placed in it. Once the bottles are placed withinit, which can be done automatically or manually, the bottles forciblyurge the bottom panels 166 and 167 downwardly, which action tends tokeep the top edges of the end panels 152 and 153 engaged within thelocking notches 207 and 208, and the bottle carrier erect.

When the bottoms of the bottles engage the small divider flaps 178 and179, the latter are forced to fold along the score lines so that theydepend downwardly within the bottle carrier, as can be best seen in FIG.8. Likewise, the divider flaps I82 and 183 are forced downward into thebottle carrier, to separate the bottles. These divider flaps 182 and 183advantageously are scored along score lines 209 and 210 to permit themto be more easily forced into position. If these divider flaps are notscored, they may not drop into position, since the outer ends thereofoverlap the edges of the end panels. The longer length, however, isdesirable to provide a greater amount of material between adjacentbottles. The edges 211 of these divider flaps 182 and 183 also arepreferably angularly cut, as can be best seen in FIG. 1, to provide aclearance to prevent them from snagging on the edge of the glue flap156, as they are being forced into the interior of the bottle carrier.

In FIGS. 1013, there is shown a bottle carrier 10, exemplary of anotherembodiment of the invention, which is formed from the single blank ofsheet material 12 shown in FIG. 11. This blank 12 is cut and scored in afashion such as to form end panels 14 and 15, side panels 16 and 17, anda small glue flap 18 which, when folded along score lines 19-22, formthe outer rectangular-shaped sidewalls of the bottle carrier 10. Theglue flap 18 has adhesive applied to it on the side opposite that shownin FIG. 11, and is adhesively afiixed to the end panel 14 so that itlies interiorly of the bottle carrier 10. It can be seen that thisconstruction is like that of the bottle carrier 150 so that thesidewalls of the bottle carrier 10 also are in the form of solid panelsand are not interrupted with glue lines and the like. Accordingly, withthis bottle carrier also, better printing surfaces for vignettes, aswell as the advertising material which normally is applied to thesebottle carriers are provided.

The blank 12 further is cut and scored to provide a selfforming bottomincluding bottom panels 24-27, a centrally disposed divider includingdivider panels 28 and 29, and a pair of panels which, when the bottlecarrier is erected, form handle portions 30 and 31 and individual bottleseparator panels 32 and 33. As can be best seen in FIGS. 10 and 12, thedivider panels 28 and 28 are abutted together face-to-face centrally ofthe bottle carrier 10 and the upper portions thereof are sandwichedbetween the handle portions 30 and 31, when the bottle carrier iserected. The upper portions of the divider panels 28 and 29 areadhesively afiixed to the handle portions 30 and 31, respectively.Normally, these divider panels 28 and 29 are not adhesively or otherwisesecured to one another, however, they may be secured together, in somesuitable fashion, at a brewery or glass plant where the bottle carrieris erected, to increase the rigidity of the handle. The divider panels28, 29 and the handle portions 30, 31 each have hand openings 34 in themwhich are positioned so that they all are aligned with one another whenthe bottle carrier is erected, so as to form a single hand opening 35,as can be seen in FIGS. 10 and 12.

The individual bottle separator panels 32 and 33 are horizontallydisposed when the bottle carrier 10 is erected, and each of them has acentrally disposed bottle receiving opening 37 formed in it which isflanked by a pair of foldable divider flaps 38 and 39 which are formedby cut lines 36 and score lines 41. These foldable divider flaps 38 and39 are automatically folded along the score lines 41 so as to dependvertically downwardly within the bottle carrier 10, as can be best seenin FIG. 13, when bottles are placed in the bottle carrier. It cantherefore be seen that all of the bottles placed in the bottle carrierare substantially completely separated from one another, by means of thecentrally disposed divider formed by the divider panels 28, 29 and thedivider flaps 38 and 39.

It also may be noted that bottles placed in the bottle carrier 10 seaton the bottom panels 25 and 27, and the weight of these bottles help tofully erect or form the self-forming bottom. When the filled bottlecarrier is picked up by the handle portions 30 and 31, the dividerpanels 28 and 29 being adhesively affixed to these handle portionssupport the bottom panels 25 and 27. This fact, as well as the fact thatthe bottom panels are integral with the side panels 16, 17 and thedivider panels 28, 29, substantially, if not completely, eliminates thepossibility of the bottom tearing out of the bottle carrier as a resultof a glue seam parting. The double handle strengthens the bottle carrierand, in addition, is fairly rigid so as to provide a secure feeling toanyone carrying the bottle carrier.

Still another bottle carrier 40 which is generally like the bottlecarrier 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 14-23. This bottle carrier providessome additional advantages not provided by the carrier 10, and inaddition with it, the amount of material required to fabricate it can bereduced.

The bottle carrier 40 is formed from the single blank of sheet material42 which is shown in FIG. 14 and which is cut, scored, folded and gluedin a fashion such as to form end panels 43, 44, side panels 45, 46, anda small glue flap 47, which when folded along score lines 48-51, formthe solid outer rectangular-shaped sidewalls of the bottle carrier. Theblank 42 like the blank 12 further is cut and scored to provide aself-forming bottom including bottom panels 52-55, a centrally disposeddivider including divider panels 56 and 57, and a pair of panels which,when the bottle carrier is erected, form handle portions 58, 59 andindividual bottle separator panels 60, 61. The principal distinctionsbetween the blanks 12 and 42 are in the shape of the divider panels 56,57, the handle portions 58, 59 and the bottle separator panels 60, 61which, in the case of the blank 42, are cut so that the blanks cut froma larger sheet of material are reversible and nest with one another topermit them to be cut with a substantially irreducible amount of wastematerial. It is therefore apparent that substantial savings in the costof materials used to fabricate the bottle carriers 40 are provided.Other improvements and savings will be apparent from the descriptionwhich follows.

More specifically, the handle portions 58, 59 have side edges 63 whichare cut at an angle such as to permit the handle portions on anotherblank 42 to be nested with them, to reduce the amount of waste materialwhich results from cutting the blanks from a larger sheet of material.The side edges 64 of the divider panels 56, 57 also are cut at an angle,for the same reason. In addition, the length of the divider panels isshortened so that the top portions thereof do not completely overlap thehandle portions 58 and 59, as can be seen in FIG. 15. Cutting the edges64 in this fashion and shortening the length of the divider panels notonly reduces the amount of material used in the bottle carriers, but itimproves the decorative appearance of the bottle carriers so that theyare'more attractive. To compensate for the lack of overlapping material,the handle portions 58, 59 are provided with small strengthening flaps65, 66 which are folded over along the score lines 67 and adhesivelyaffixed to the handle portions. These flaps 65, 66 strengthen the handleportions and provide a more rigid feeling to the bottle carrier whilethe latter is being carried.

The individual bottle separator panels 60, 61 are cut and scored ingenerally the same fashion as the separator panels 172 and 173 of thebottle carrier 150. In particular, it can be seen that these panels arecut to provide two small divider flaps 68, 69 which can be folded alongscore lines 70, to depend vertically downwardly into the bottle carrier,as can be best seen in FIG. 23. The edges 71 of these divider flaps 68,69

also are cut in a sinusoidal fashion and the length of the foldabledivider flaps 73 and 74 flanking the divider flaps 68, 69 is lengthenedso that these divider flaps likewise provide substantially moreseparation between the bottles in the bottle carrier.

The blank 42 is folded in the manner described below, to form the bottlecarrier 40. The blank 12 is formed in a fashion similar to that used infonning the bottle carrier 10. Adhesive first is applied to the blank42, at flue areas 75-78. Adhesive also can be applied at glue areas 79and 80 instead of or in addition to the glue areas 76 and 78, however,the adhesive preferably is applied only to the glue areas 76 and 78.After applying the adhesive, the blank 42 is folded along the scorelines 67 to affix the strengthening flaps 65 and 66 in overlappingrelationship on the handle portions 58 and 59. Thereafter, orsimultaneously with the above-described folding operation, the blank 42is folded along the score line 82 which extends across the entire widthof the blank, so that the bottom panels 52-55 and the divider panels 56and 57 overlay the side panels 45, 46, the individual separator panels60, 61 and a portion of the handle portions 58 and 59, as shown in FIG.15. As this fold is being made, the triangular-shaped tug tabs 84 and 85are folded back along the score lines 86 and 87 to overlay the bottompanels 52 and 54. Adhesive then is applied to the tug tabs 84 and 85, asindicated by the dotted areas 88 and 89.

Next, that portion of the blank 42 to the right of the score line 50 isfolded over atop the portion to the left of the score line 50, as shownin FIG. 16. In doing so, the tug tab 85 is adhesively afiixed to thebottom panel 55, generally in the area indicated by the dotted area 90in FIG. 15. Prior to making the above-described fold, adhesivepreferably is applied to the back side of the glue flap 47, as indicatedby the dotted area 91 in FIG. 16. Alternatively, however, this adhesivecan be applied after the fold is made. The final fold is along scoreline 48, to fold the end panel 43 and the bottom panel 52 in overlappingrelationship and to affix the glue flap 47 to the inside of the endpanel 43, as shown in FIG. 17. With this fold, the tug tab 84 isadhesively affixed to the bottom panel 53, generally in the areaindicated by the dotted area 92, in FIG. 16. The bottle carrier 40 nowis completely formed and, as can be seen in FIG. 17, is in aknocked-down configuration.

To erect the bottle carrier 40, opposing forces, as indicated by thearrows 95 and 96 in FIGS. 19-22, are exerted against the two oppositeedges of the folded blank 42. As these forces are applied, the oppositeside panels 45 and 46 are forced to spread apart, in the mannerillustrated in FIG. 20. As these side panels spread apart, the bottompanels 52 and 54 are caused to unfold, downwardly and, in doing so, thetug tabs 84 and 85 pull the bottom panels 53 and 55 into bottom-closingpositions, as illustrated in FIGS. 21 and 22. As these bottom panels 53and 55 are being pulled into their bottom-closing positions, the dividerpanels 56 and 57 also are pulled into position, vertically disposedcentrally of the bottle carrier, as can be best seen in FIG. 18. It mayfurther be noted that the individual separator panels 60 and 61 arefolded along the score lines 97 and 98 and are pulled into theirhorizontally disposed positions, on each of the opposite sides of thedivider panels 56 and 57, as the latter panels are pulled into position.In this respect, the construction of the bottle carrier 46 is unique inthat it not only has a self-forming bottom, but the latter furtherfunctions to erect the dividers within the bottle carrier. Theself-forming bottom strengthens the bottle carrier and increases thespeed at which the bottle carriers can be erected.

Once the bottle carrier 48 is erected, bottles can be placed within it,automatically or manually. As the bottoms of the bottles engage thesmall divider flaps 68 and 69, the latter are forced to fold along thescore lines 78, so that they depend downwardly within the bottlecarrier, as can be best seen in FIG. 23. Likewise, the divider flaps 73and 74 are forced downward into the bottle carrier, to separate thebottles. These divider flaps 73 and 74 are scored along score lines 99and 100 to pennit them to be more easily forced into position. The edges101 of these divider flaps 73 and 74 also are preferably angularly cut,as can be best seen in FIG. 14, to provide a clearance to prevent themfrom snagging on the edge of the glue flap 47, as they are being forcedinto the interior of the bottle carrier.

In FIG. 24, there is illustrated still another bottle carrier 105 whichis generally like and is formed in the same general fashion as thebottle carriers and 40. However, it may be noted that the center cell106 thereof, on each of the opposite sides of the center divider, islowered so as to provide a tapering profile appearance. This taperedappearance is provided by, for example, angularly cutting the edges 101of the divider flaps 73 and 74 of the blank 42 so that these edgesextend into the side panels 45 and 46, instead of away from them. Inthis case also, the divider flaps 107 and 108 are shortened in length sothat they extend substantially to the bottom wall 109.

In FIGS. 25 and 26, there is illustrated an alternate construction forreenforcing the handle portions of a bottle carrier. In this case, ahandle reenforcement flap 110 substantially corresponding to the outlineof the handle portion 111 is cut in the divider portion 112 and isadapted to be folded along a score line 113. This handle reenforcementflap 110 is folded along the score line 3, as the blank 115 is foldedalong the score line 116 in the manner described above, so that it canbe adhesively afiixed to the handle portion 111, as illustrated in H6.26. The hand opening 118 in the handle reenforcement flap 110 ispositioned so that it aligns with a substantially similar hand opening119 in the handle portion 11 1.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those madeapparent from the preceding description, are cfficiently attained and,since certain changes may be made in the above article without departingfrom the scope of the invention, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Now that the invention has been described, what is claimed as new anddesired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

I claim:

1. A flat-foldable bottle carrier having four outer walls, two of saidwalls having at one end thereof bottom closure flaps which folddownwardly into a bottom for said bottle carrier as said walls areseparated after being folded flat; said two walls having at the otherend thereof carrier panels which are formed to provide a verticallydisposed handle portion and a horizontally-disposed bottle receivingportion for receiving and carrying bottles; a longitudinal dividerdisposed centrally within said bottle carrier formed of a pair ofdivider panels, each of said divider panels being integrally affixed toone of said bottom closure flaps along one end thereof and to one ofsaid carrier panels, said divider panels further being substantiallycoextensive in area with one of said carrier panels and overlaying saidpanel, said divider panels also overlaying one another and being fixedlysecured together, whereby said divider panels and said carrier panelsare automatically forcibly urged into position by said bottom closureflaps as the latter fold downwardly into said bottom for said bottlecarrier as said walls are separated after being folded flat.

2. The flat-foldable bottle carrier of claim 1, wherein said four outerwalls comprise two sidewalls and two end walls, said two end walls beingfolded in half along a score line thereon and the end edges thereofbeing fixedly secured to the end edges of said two sidewalls,respectively, .with said end walls exposed when said bottle carrier isfolded flat, said bottom closure flaps being integrally affixed to saidsidewalls along one edge thereof and sandwiched between said sidewallsin face-to-face relationship when said bottle carrier is folded flat,said bottom closure flaps being forcibly urged downwardly intobottom-forming position as said outer walls are separated after beingfolded flat by exerting opposing forces against the score lines on saidtwo end walls, respectively.

3. The flat-foldable bottle carrier of claim 2, wherein said carrierpanels having locking notches therein which are adapted to frictionallyand lockingly receive the top edges of said end walls therein forholding said bottle carrier erect.

4. The flat-foldable bottle carrier of claim 1, wherein saidhorizontally-disposed bottle receiving portion of each of said carrierpanels is formed to provide a centrally positioned cell for receivingand carrying a bottle, said cell being flanked by a pair of flaps whichare foldable vertically downwardly into said bottle carrier to formoutboard cells on each of the opposite sides of said center cell, flapsforming separators between bottles in said outboard cells and saidcenter cell, whereby all of said bottles in said bottle carrier aresubstantially completely separated from one another.

5. The flat-foldable bottle carrier of claim 4, wherein said center cellnormally is closed by a pair of foldable flaps which are foldedvertically downwardly within said bottle carrier to provide additionalseparation between a bottle in said center cell and bottles in saidoutboard cells.

1. A flat-foldable bottle carrier having four outer walls, two of saidwalls having at one end thereof bottom closure flaps which folddownwardly into a bottom for said bottle carrier as said walls areseparated after being folded flat; said two walls having at the otherend thereof carrier panels which are formed to provide a verticallydisposed handle portion and a horizontally-disposed bottle receivingportion for receiving and carrying bottles; a longitudinal dividerdisposed centrally within said bottle carrier formed of a pair ofdivider panels, each of said divider panels being integrally affixed toone of said bottom closure flaps along one end thereof and to one ofsaid carrier panels, said divider panels further being substantiallycoextensive in area with one of said carrier panels and overlaying saidpanel, said divider panels also overlaying one another and being fixedlysecured together, whereby said divider panels and said carrier panelsare automatically forcibly urged into position by said bottom closureflaps as the latter fold downwardly into said bottom for said bottlecarrier as said walls are separated after being folded flat.
 2. Theflat-foldable bottle carrier of claim 1, wherein said four outer wallscomprise two sidewalls and two end walls, said two end walls beingfolded in half along a score line thereon and the end edges thereofbeing fixedly secured to the end edges of said two sidewalls,respectively, with said end walls exposed when said bottle carrier isfolded flat, said bottom closure flaps being integrally affixed to saidsidewalls along one edge thereof and sandwiched between said sidewallsin face-to-face relationship when said bottle carrier is folded flat,said bottom closure flaps being forcibly urged downwardly intobottom-forming position as said outer walls are separated after beingfolded flat by exerting opposing forces against the score lines on saidtwo end walls, respectively.
 3. The flat-foldable bottle carrier ofclaim 2, wherein said carrier panels having locking notches thereinwhich are adapted to frictionally and lockingly receive the top edges ofsaid end walls therein for holding said bottle carrier erect.
 4. Theflat-foldable bottle carrier of claim 1, wherein saidhorizontally-disposed bottle receiving portion of each of said carrierpanels is formed to provide a centrally positioned cell for receivingand carrying a bottle, said cell being flanked by a pair of flaps whichare foldable vertically downwardly into said bottle carrier to formoutboard cells on each of the opposite sides of said center cell, flapsforming separators between bottles in said outboard celLs and saidcenter cell, whereby all of said bottles in said bottle carrier aresubstantially completely separated from one another.
 5. Theflat-foldable bottle carrier of claim 4, wherein said center cellnormally is closed by a pair of foldable flaps which are foldedvertically downwardly within said bottle carrier to provide additionalseparation between a bottle in said center cell and bottles in saidoutboard cells.